Jennifer Lopez Space Buns
Jennifer Lopez’s modern space buns, brought to life by celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton.

Not to be overly dramatic, but not a day goes by where we don’t ask ourselves, “How does Jennifer Lopez always look so fierce?” First of all, that’s because she’s a damn queen; and second, she entrusts her strands to world-renowned hairstylist Chris Appleton.

Appleton’s been perfecting JLo’s locks for years now— ever since she personally called him up to see how they could work together. He’s the brains behind the Hustlers star’s most epic hair moments through the years, like her “I Ain’t Your Mama” music video in 2016, and most recently, the 2020 Superbowl. We’ll forever be amazed by how those bouncy and voluminous curls survived (and thrived!) in the Miami heat.

These days, Appleton is the singer’s go-to hairstylist. He’s constantly working to deliver the next best daring ‘do: faux bangs, snatched ponytails, half-up-half-down “glam Barbie” looks, and knee-length locks courtesy of 50-inch extensions. Please see below to re-experience the latter.

Jennifer Lopez 2018 Billboard Latin Music Awards
Jennifer Lopez attends the 2018 Billboard Latin Music Awards at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on April 26, 2018, with 50-inch long extensions.

JLo’s latest headline-making hairstyle is her modern space buns featuring a center part and face-framing tendrils. Appleton shared a photo of his 90s-esque creation on Wednesday, November 11. He captioned the snap, “Spicy.”

We reached out to the celeb stylist to spill the deets on how fans can recreate the space buns hairstyle at home. The best part? It’s easy to do so, and all you need is a hairbrush, clear elastics, texturing spray, and hairpins. Read on for the step-by-step instructions.

First, split your hair in a middle part at the nape of your neck to divide your hair into two sections. Then, brush your locks into two pigtails and secure with clear elastics, like these ones. After that, apply texturing spray to your tied-up strands (Appleton recommends Color Wow Style On Steroids for fuller, thicker hair). Follow by teasing both sections of hair. If you’re on the hunt for the right tool, GRAZIA loves Tangle Teezer’s The Ultimate Teaser.

Now’s where the magic happens. Twist the bun into itself like you would do so for a normal everyday bun and then secure both tight buns with hairpins to lock them into place. Finally, use a curling iron or a flat iron to give your front tendrils a feminine bend like J. Lo.

If you want to recreate JLo’s fierce selfie, Appleton recommends using a barrette or a pin to hold one of those loose strands of hair in place behind your ear. Leave the other in front to give off a casual-but-polished vibe.

Lastly, if you’re going to copy the look, you might as well take inspiration from her glam, too. L.A.-based makeup artist Mary Phillips gave the star smoky eyes, bold brows, a bronzed complexion, and lined, glossy lips. As much as I’d like to pretend that Appleton and Phillips are on the way over to my studio apartment to glam me up like JLo, we all know that’s not the case. If you need me, I’ll be recreating the look from my five-by-five-foot bathroom.

And if you’re feeling like recreating something totally different, please enjoy the following tutorial of how to get JLo’s Super Bowl 2020 hair.